Lunch with a Side of Service Learning
As part of Lower School lunch on Friday, June 3, students got a little more than food on their plates. Students who took the Service Learning ASEP class this spring took to the Lunchroom stage — along with class teachers Kelley Vauk and Star Moore — to present facts and figures to their classmates about food insecurity in the Bay Area and across the United States.
Among the statistics presented: 15.7 million children (two out of 10) in the U.S. experience food insecurity. Students also educated their classmates about programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Project Open Hand that attempt to right these inbalances. Click here to watch the full presentation.
The ASEP class, which was open to third and fourth graders, was in its second year at Burke's this spring, and it's one of the ways in which community service opportunities moved more and more into the classroom in the 2015-16 school year. First graders decorated cloth grocery bags as part of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center's food delivery to homebound seniors, and kindergartners brought seasonal cheer to the same group by creating and giving holiday crafts. On Earth Day, students from throughout the Lower School planted seedlings to become part of the garden at RDNC. Through their advisories, Upper Schoolers participated in a variety of clothing and food drives throughout the year.